AIGC film 'Grey Ears Is a Warrior Too' premieres this year

Grey Ears Is a Warrior Too, the animated film produced in Chongqing with AIGC technology, obtained the exhibition permit known as "standard dragon" and will premiere in Chinese theaters before the year ends.

The story takes the perspective of a warhorse and the Red Army soldiers during the Long March. The protagonist is Grey Ears, a colt that walks with a cross-step, thinks about eating all the time, and prefers to hide when there is trouble. Even so, he joins a squad tasked with transporting a radio and code books captured from the enemy.

During the journey, the group faces attacks, crosses snowy mountains, and traverses swamps. Grey Ears stops being the scared animal from the beginning and understands what sacrifice and protection mean, until he becomes a warrior willing to defend his companions.

The film is directed by Li Kang, with Du Xinman as screenwriter and executive director. It is produced by iQiyi Pictures (Chongqing), Chongqing Starlight Shuying Culture Media, and Forty-Eight Square Meters (Chongqing) Technology, among other companies. iQiyi's studio collaborated with Starlight Shuying and Wenda AI on the production.

A six-month production with AI throughout the process

The project was registered in 2025 with the National Film Administration. In April of this year it stood out at iQiyi's AIGC event and became one of the first features with full platform support for productions generated with artificial intelligence. Production started in May and lasted about six months.

The creative team explained that the film coincides with the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory and seeks a new way to tell revolutionary stories with AI tools. The idea of narrating from an animal companion came from reviewing documents about the horses that accompanied the soldiers.

Director Li Kang said he hopes the audience, especially young people, understands the spirit of those who kept going even knowing the dangers, through the growth of the horse and its rider.

AI participated in planning, scriptwriting, shot generation, and post-production, but always under the direction of human creators. The direction, art, and technology teams worked together to define the visual style and adjust each frame.

Chongqing's first AI-animated film

It is the first AI-made animated feature to be released in theaters from Chongqing. The city concentrated much of the chain: registration, investment, production, and distribution.

With this title, the local film industry tests a path where technology combines with traditional stories to bring history closer to new generations. For now, the premiere is scheduled for the coming months, without an exact confirmed date.